Highlights of July 8th General Meeting

The LSCG has over $5,000 in grant funding and is seeking ideas on how to spend it before a December '08 deadline. One idea, to purchase a solar light for the flagpole, was approved at the July 8th meeting.

Other ideas on the table include:

Fund a Fall Festival.

Develop a mini-neighborhood park on land at Hina and Palau.

Add to the landscaping at both the Mauna Loa and Westminster entrances. The Beautification Committee will be looking at possible landscapers and plants.

Plan a Christmas Holiday event.

We are still seeking ideas. It was noted that the front entrance signs, which were purchased about a year ago:

are already peeling in places...

Brainstorming

There were also several ideas put forward for future meeting agendas. Among those mentioned:

Getting a speaker from the County Appraiser's office.

An expert on green landscaping from Florida House or the County Extension Office.

Learning about neighborhood emergency preparedness. Follow these links for more info: Sarasota CERT, CERT locally, Forming a CERT Team

The question was also raised as to why the water in Lakeview Park's canals and lake is so far below where it used to be, and why it has become sogreen. It's possible that an artesian well was capped off. There is also information that the sluice near Bent Tree allowing water to run out of the lake was lowered, which in turn has lowered the entire level of the lake. The Group has asked several members to do some fact finding and report back.

Citizens Patrol Update

Sgt. Scully from the Sheriff's Office was present for citizens patrol training. He also mentioned that the parks department is interested in hearing from organized neighborhoods with concerns involving park safety and policing.

Ted Cover of Citizens Patrol needs volunteers for August shifts. He'll be sending an email but contact Ted if you want to be proactive.

Save Gas

It was also mentioned that on Sundays the 1411 bus will pick people up at the Middlesex bus stop on Bee Ridge and take them out to Siesta Key. For senior citizens the price os $.35 - that's cents, not dollars. There's a deal you don't see every day!

Monday, April 10,20177:00 p.m. surplus lands andcommunity treasures - crucial decisions -a town hall examination ​ ​On Monday, April 10, 2017 please join CONA for a town hall examination of our surplus lands policies and zoning processes that are putting lands considered community treasures in danger, perhaps irreversibly. Such crucial decisions require public participation. ​ The current offer to sell public lands adjacent to the Celery Fields for a construction waste processing facility has drawn the focus of adjacent neighborhoods, environmental groups, conservationists, and many concerned individuals. The issues will be examined to determine what should drive decisions about public lands and how policies may be changed to assure protection of our community treasures while making appropriate decisions about development and preservation. ​